Police to roll out Segways for Tulip Time

Wednesday

Apr 28, 2010 at 12:01 AMApr 28, 2010 at 11:52 AM

Once they get on, they don’t want to get off.

MEGAN SCHMIDT

Once they get on, they don’t want to get off.

That’s what Steven Fisher says when the police officers he trains get comfortable with the Segway, a two-wheeled personal transportation device where the driver controls the movement by shifting forward and backward.

Fisher was in Holland Monday and Tuesday for the National Institute of Justice, teaching a handful of Holland officers to manuever the segways for next week’s Tulip Time Festival.

“Segways are very much like that thing you got for Christmas that you never want to put down,” Fisher said as he helped one Holland officer steady himself on the Segway.

Officers will use two Segways, on loan from Michigan Segway on a trial basis, to manuever more easily through crowds during parades and other events. The police department will report back to the National Institute of Justice on the effectiveness of the Segways and ultimately, could opt to make them a permanent fixture in their fleet. For now, Fisher is training about 10 officers to ride.

After just an hour of practice, the four officers training Tuesday morning were warming up quickly to their new mode of transportation, he said. Typically, it takes 15 to 20 hours of practice to become proficient.

“Considering it’s their first day on the device, they’re doing very well,” Fisher said. “It’s a unique experience, but it’s one that takes some getting used to.”

Pressure-sensitive pads the officers stand on can “feel” when the officer pushes down on his or her toes, which propels the Segway forward, or when they lean back on the heels, which slows it.

They can coast on and through many surfaces: concrete, grass, wood chips, gravel, even sand.

Maxing out at about 12 mph, the Segways are still “much faster than anyone can outrun it,” Fisher said. “They’re not going to outrun it. And since you’re a little higher up, you can see in between cars, if someone’s picking a lock. ... You can literally get right on top of someone before they realize you’re there.”

Fisher watched as the officers practiced weaving and zig-zagging through orange plastic cones in the Holland Civic Center parking lot. Although a few nudged or bumped a cone from time to time, no one knocked any down.

“It just becomes an extension of your feet,” Officer John Weatherwax said after he took a few spins around the parking lot. “I didn’t think I’d be going through obstacle courses within an hour.”

Once the officers learn to relax, rather than being rigid, it tends to get easier, Fisher said.